Craig R Smith

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Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Chapters

• Smith, C. R. (2015). Government Contracting and Human Resource Management. In Public Human Resource Management, 6th edition,. Sage.

Journals/Publications

• Smith, C. R., & Malatesta, D. (2021). Novel and overlooked techniques for public management research questions. International Journal of Public Sector Management.
• Malatesta, D., & Smith, C. R. (2019). Contract amendments: for better or for worse?. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 32(6), 635-652. doi:10.1108/ijpsm-06-2018-0141
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  Public management researchers have successfully leveraged theory to advance the understanding of contracts and the different governance structures that underpin contract relationships. Yet there is still much to learn about the implications for different governance structures. Applying insights from property rights, the purpose of this paper is to examine the substance of initial government contracts and their subsequent amendments in order to determine whether allocation of decision rights leads to better or worse contract amendments.,The authors evaluate the text of initial contracts and their subsequent amendments in 258 government–business relationships and focus on the implications of assigning key decision rights to the party with most relevant knowledge expertise.,Two primary findings are presented. First, initial contracts where knowledge expertise and the associated decision rights are co-located (i.e. integrated) are likely to be associated with ex post adjustments that benefit both parties to the contract. Second, the authors find that this initial finding is likely a result of government integration as opposed to supplier integration.,Given that we know most professional service contracts require some form of contract amendment over time, this research helps us understand why some amendments will reinforce the collaborative (Pareto enhancing) nature of the relationship, while others may be more one sided (rent seeking). Unlike other theoretical approaches (e.g. transaction cost theory), property rights theory provides guidance for such decision making.
• Smith, C. R., Whitford, A., & Schlager, E. (2017). Moving Beyond the Boundaries? Exploring Nexus Among Public Policy, Public Management, and Nonprofit and Voluntary Studies Fields. Policy Studies Journal, 45(1), 4-21.
• Smith, C. R. (2015). Deciding who’s in charge: Factors driving the choice of decision rights in professional service contracts. Journal of Strategic Contracting and Negotiation.
• Smith, C. R. (2014). Lessons from Resource Dependence Theory for Contemporary Public and Nonprofit Management. Public Administration Review.
• Smith, C. R., & Malatesta, D. (2014). Designing Contracts for Complex Services. Public Administration.
• Smith, C. R., & Malatesta, D. (2013). DESIGNING CONTRACTS FOR COMPLEX SERVICES. Public Administration, 92(3), 531-548. doi:10.1111/padm.12004
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  In this article, we employ transaction cost economics and the contingency stream of organization theory to answer two related questions. First, when contracting for complex services, do governments design contracts for flexibility? Second, is the contingency perspective relevant to understanding contract design? Examining 130 professional service contracts awarded by state government agencies in the USA, we find that task complexity and task unpredictability, two dimensions of task uncertainty, increase the probability of flexible governance. This research highlights for managers the important fact that the potential for opportunism and task complexity are different sources of uncertainty that pose different challenges and call for different governance solutions. The study enriches our understanding of transaction costs by probing the conditions under which task uncertainty matters most (and least), and further shows the utility of integrating transaction cost economics with contingency theory to better understand contract governance.
• Smith, C. R., Malatesta, D., & Fernandez, S. (2013). Race, Gender and Government Contracting: Different Explanations or New Prospects for Theory?. Public Administration Review.
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  ;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: ;
• Smith, C. R., & Malatesta, D. (2012). Balancing Hazards in the Design of Local Franchise Contracts. Urban Affairs Review.
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  ;Full Citation: Urban Affairs Review September 2012 vol. 48 no. 5 615-641;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: ;
• Smith, C. R., & Malatesta, D. (2012). Government Contracts for Legal Services: Does a Previous Contracting Relationship Alter Accountability?. State and Local Government Review.
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  ;Full Citation: State and Local Government Review June 2012 vol. 44 no. 2 113-126 ;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: ;
• Nesbit, R., Moulton, S., Dehart-davis, L., Feeney, M. K., Gazley, B., Hou, Y., Smith, C. R., & Robinson, S. E. (2011). Wrestling with intellectual diversity in public administration: Avoiding disconnectedness and fragmentation while seeking rigor, depth, and relevance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 21(Supplement 1), i13-i28. doi:10.1093/jopart/muq062
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  Public Administration (PA) is a field characterized by great diversity in theoretical approaches and methodological tactics. This wide scope lends itself to potential epistemological and methodological fragmentation, which prevents scholars from adequately appreciating and building on each other's work. Although many scholars value PA's theoretical and methodological diversity, this intellectual diversity brings some important trade-offs that must be acknowledged. We see three future challenges for the field as (1) supporting the application of diverse and rigorous methodological approaches, (2) continuing to encourage theoretical diversity and theoretical depth, and (3) promoting relevance without compromising methodological rigor and theoretical depth. We believe that a self-conscious, deliberate focus on balancing these goals will strengthen and connect public administration. In this article, we suggest several practical strategies for accomplishing this, such as embracing the public focus of our research, working in interdisciplinary teams, and being more explicit about methodological assumptions and approaches in our writing.
• Smith, C. R., & Malatesta, D. (2011). Resource Dependence, Alternative Supply Sources and the Design of Formal Contracts. Public Administration Review.
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  ;Full Citation: Volume 71, Issue 4, pages 608-617, July/August 2011;
• Smith, C. R., & Malatesta, D. (2011). The Effects of Competition Based Public Policy on Contractual Arrangements. Policy Studies Journal.
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  ;Full Citation: Volume 39, Issue 2, pages 261-283, May 2011;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: ;
• Smith, C. R., Nesbit, B., Gazely, B., Robinson, S., & Moulton, S. (2009). Wrestling with Intellectual Diversity in Public Administration: Avoiding Disconnectedness and Fragmentation. Journal of Public Administration Research and Thoery.
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  ;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Faculty members from other institutions;
• Smith, C. R., & Bertelli, A. M. (2010). Relational Contracting and Network Management. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.
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  ;Full Citation: J Public Adm Res Theory (2009) doi: 10.1093/jopart/mup033 First published online: December 2, 2009 ;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Faculty member at USC;
• Smith, C. R., & Fernandez, S. (2010). Equity in Federal Contracting: Examining the Link between Minority Representation and Federal Procurement Decisions. Public Administration Review.
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  ;Your Role: Analysis, data collection, and literature review;Full Citation: Volume 70, Issue 1, Article first published online: 24 ;Other collaborative: Yes;Specify other collaborative: Faculty member at Indiana University;
• Smith, C. R. (2009). Institutional Determinants of Collaboration: An Empirical Study of County Open-Space Protection. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.
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  ;Your Role: Single author article;Full Citation: Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory, Jan2009, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p1-21;
• Feeney, M. K., & Smith, C. R. (2008). Social Embeddedness in Outsourcing: What Shapes Public Managers' Perceptions?. Public Performance & Management Review, 31(4), 517-546. doi:10.2753/pmr1530-9576310402
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  As public agencies become increasingly familiar with outsourcing public services, public managers face the challenge of building and maintaining contract management capacity while balancing the demands of external actors, including, but not limited to, contractors, executives, legislators, and clients. Although a great deal of recent research examines contract management capacity in the public sector, few studies have investigated consultants' and public managers' perceptions of one another. Here, within a long-term research project working to build contract management capacity at the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), we draw from in-depth interviews with private consultants to develop and test a model and hypotheses about how public managers' previous work experiences, communication patterns in working relations, and professional and social activities affect their perceptions of outsourcing and consultants. We outline a full model of the relationships between past experiences, perceptions, tru...
• Smith, C. R. (2007). Institutional Determinants of Collaboration: An Empirical Study of County Open-Space Protection. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 19(1), 1-21. doi:10.1093/jopart/mum037
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  Collaboration is an increasingly important topic in the public administration and management literatures. A preponderance of studies focuses on how managers can build trust between the government and collaborative partners by means of behavioral attributes and managerial skill. In this article, the author suggests that stable institutions and local government structure facilitate collaboration by allowing public managers to more credibly commit in a policy arena. Using county data on open-space policy, the author finds empirical support for the proposition that county form of government, along with rules governing debt accumulation and administrative commitment, increases the breadth of county collaboration in open-space protection.

Presentations

• Smith, C. R., & Schuler, P. (2025). Bridging Academia and Local Governance: Insight from the University of Arizona-Tucson Police Department Collaboration on Violent Crime Reduction. Arizona City and County Managers Association Meeting -- Sedona.
• Jo, S., An, S. H., Smith, C. R., & Casas, A. (2024).

  Engaging Citizens in Reducing Gun Violence and Improving Policy-Community Relationships: Filed Experiments on Different Forms of Public Participation

  . Field Experiments in Government Workshop at Georgetown University.
• Smith, C. R., Jo, S., An, S., & Casas, A. (2024). Engaging Citizens in Reducing Gun Violence and Improving Police-Community Relationships: Field Experiments on Different Forms of Public Participation. Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM).
• Malatesta, D., & Smith, C. R. (2017, July). Anticipating the Unknowable and the Design of Mechanisms for Collaborative Governance. APPAM International Conference. Brussels, Belgium: Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
• Malatesta, D., & Smith, C. R. (2015, June). Deciding Who’s Boss: The Factors that Drive the Choice of Decision Rights in Government Contracting. Public Management Research Conference.
• Smith, C. R. (2014, March). Lessons from Resource Dependence Theory for Contemporary Public and Nonprofit Management. American Society for Public Administration.
• Smith, C. R. (2013, February). Task Uncertainty and the Design of Flexible Contracts for Public Services. Invited Presentation: Evan's School, University of Washington.